Hic iacet Arthurus, Rex quondam, Rexque futurus
by Falca
Summary: Here lies Arthur, the once and future king. Legend says that King Arthur will return when the world needs him the most and earth definitely needs him now. With Norse gods and aliens and new technologies, will Arthur succeed and fulfill his destiny once more? Cameos of bbc Sherlock and lotr, includes OC Indilwen
1. Chapter 1

Hic jacet Arthurus, Rex quondam, Rexque futurus. Here lies Arthur, the once and future King.

When it all started, and I mean really started, it was raining, though I suppose that it's always raining in London. Gray-silver clouds cover the entire sky while cold raindrops fall from the heavens. All the rain used to frustrate me, because I felt claustrophobic when I couldn't see the stars. I don't know why Elrohir decided to move back to England, the grief still seems to overwhelm me. After the whole St. Bart's incident…

But I digress, that is another story for another day. You wanted to hear about the return of Arthur, didn't you? You want to hear about the glorious battles, if such wanton bloodshed could ever be called glorious, and the inspiring words uttered by none other than Earth's Mightiest Heroes. I feel as if I am going to disappoint you. Because wars are not as glamorous as history or newspapers make them out to be. The story I am about to tell is not glamorous nor is it uplifting. I, as well as many others, lost many friends during that time, but I would do it all again for now the world is so much better and brighter because of that war. Interesting, isn't it, that humans must experience war and terror in order to truly enjoy peace.

Again, I must apologize. You didn't want to hear the ramblings of the old, for I am old even if I don't quite look it. Allow me to start again, from the beginning. I will do my best not to side-track and stick to the important parts. Please tell me if anything needs clarifying and I shall explain. Are you ready? Do you need to adjust the recorder again? No? Alright, good, I shall begin then.

I have known Merlin for a long time. An outrageously long time some might say. I have known him for centuries, yes, you heard me right. Needless to say, I know all of his quirks and the faces he makes when he is hiding something or when he needs his space. In short, I consider Merlin to be a close and dear friend and I think he returns this thought. On a particular day in March, however, in rainy England, I had just finished my stroll through the woods of a park near Elrohir's and my apartment. The last time I had seen Merlin was a few years ago, though we had kept in touch via email and texts. I thought Merlin was well; he was traveling through the Swiss Mountains at that time, hoping to find serenity in the snow covered hills and quiet landscape. I didn't expect to hear from him for some while. But as I was walking back through the rain from the park, with my shoulders hunched forward (I had forgotten my umbrella) and my dark braid slightly undone (the sight I must have made), my phone rang out Merlin's ringtone. I hadn't heard from him in weeks.

"Indilwen, get here now, please, I can feel it. Something is happening. You have to hurry." Then he hung up. Typical Merlin

There was never any question to where 'here' was. 'Here' was the Lake Avalon. I know you have heard the stories of that lake, because I think everyone has, no matter how much they read or how much they care. Some say that it's a mysterious place, fringed with mist and whispers of ancient prophecies in long forgotten tongues. Others say that it's peaceful and calm lake: a place of beauty. I must admit that both of those descriptions are wrong. Lake Avalon is nothing special because locations can never be special. Only _your_ memories make the land 'special' or 'magical' and the lake was nothing if not filled with memories.

You should know that I am Sindar, or, in you people's language, a wood elf. When my kin came to this world, we were granted by Lord Eru himself that ability to travel across great distances. I cannot explain it very well in your language because there is nothing to explain. It is a feeling in you feä, your soul. The trees help us travel as we go through their roots for their roots go deep and are connected to all places. The trees even connect to other worlds, which is extremely helpful as you will see later on in my tale.

It was by means of this way that I reached Lake Avalon, after I sent a thought to Elrohir of course. My husband worries if I am out too long. Not because he doesn't trust me, but because he cares for me…I suppose I should be grateful. I stood with my hand on an ancient ash tree, watching the world from around me and waiting for Lake Avalon to appear. Oh, I apologize; you must want me to describe the lake. Very well, even though it most likely looks better when you imagine it. The sky above the lake was cloudy, just like it was in London. The trees were green and lush and the grass beneath my feet was soft. The Lake itself was in chaos. It's usually reflective waters churning with waves and buffeted by a rough, north wind.

"Stars and seas, what is going on?" I am not going to lie to you. I was afraid, nothing good ever comes from stormy waters and you would do well to remember that.

The wind whipped my hair around my face and it took me a moment to adjust to the sensations of the wild storm. Even so, it took me an obscenely long time to notice Merlin in the center of the lake in the midst of the storm. You should know that I am usually much more attentive to my surroundings, even in scenes of chaos. I blame the weather.

I will not repeat the thoughts that were running through my head as I ran forward to the immortal idiot. But for every stride I took forward the wind pushed me back towards the forests. Embarrassingly, it was only when I was pushed against a tree that I noticed the storm was coming _from_ Merlin. The shock from that thought stilled my limbs and as soon as I stopped fighting, the wind died down a bit. Now that the wind had calmed and I was still, I could feel the wild energy in the air. You humans call this energy magic. The focus of the energy was of course Merlin who, at that point, was standing on top of the water. He always did have a dramatic side.

Of all the, erm, creative stories that you could read on the newspapers, the rebirth of Arthur is one that no one has to edit. I was present for Arthur's return and I still can't quite believe it really happened this way. Like a cliché in a fantasy book, the storm intensified. I could say that the trees swayed back and forth in the wind or that the clouds darkened and crackled with lightning, but I think that bit is obvious. However, I will say that when the energy swelled I got goosebumps. For one brief second, I felt my feä connect with the earth and trees around me and that was something that had not happened since Middle Earth. Yet that moment was shattered to pieces when Merlin brought lightning from the heavens down to his feet. The resulting flash blinded me so I confess that I do not know how exactly Arthur was brought back. But some things are best left for the imagination.

When I regained my vision, I was greeted by the welcome and familiar sight of Arthur and Merlin walking side by side together. They were both smiling, broad happy smiles that can't be contained even if one tried. That sight made me smile as well. Because even if the coming of Arthur meant Camelot's need was greatest, even if war and destruction were looming on the horizon, I was overjoyed. Because I had something that I thought I had lost forever: my boys. My boys were reunited. So while all three of us might have been smiling like idiots, we were the happiest beings on earth at that moment. Do I even need to tell you that the sun was shining?

Hello there, I apologize for my hiatus. Broken wrists don't really help :/

But I'm finally out of my cast and done with finals so I decided to begin a new story. This one will be long, I don't really know how long but there is a possibility of it being novel length. I'm trying a different style of writing, less poetry and more action, so please bear with me if there are any awkward sentences. This is a learning process and I'll (hopefully) be a better writer at the end of this thing.

This is just setting the scene, don't worry. Avengers will be present shortly. I don't know if I'm writing merthur, but if I do it will be really light slash. I write stories, not porn thank you very much.

Thank you for reading and please review. Tell me if you like it or tell me what I need to fix.


	2. Chapter 2

After shooting Arthur one last grin, I wandered off to let the boys talk. I confess that I briefly entertained the idea of eavesdropping on their conversation, but that thought was quickly pushed out of my head. They had been separated for thousands of years and need some time alone. So instead I did what I did best; I explored the forest. Though I wasn't really exploring, that would give you, dear reader, the impression that I hadn't been to the surrounding woods before. On the contrary, I had visited these woods many times while waiting for Arthur with Merlin.

Oh, you have a question. Why wasn't I mentioned in any of the Arthurian Legends? Simple, I wasn't in them. My kin were not allowed to interact with the mortals. The Great Dragon foretold to Merlin that Arthur would unite Albion and that Merlin would bring back the Old Religion. I hope you can guess that I am part of said Old Religion. The Quendi, that is elves or wood nymphs, are creatures of magic. Though we cannot shoot fireballs from our hands or control other being's minds as some mortals can, the Quendi do have a powerful kind of magic. It is hard to explain but I will try. You see, dear reader, humans have magic in their blood, hot and swift like the sun. The Quendi have magic in their feä (what my people call our soul) and it is bright and everlasting like the stars. It is our magic that allows us to be immune to the effects of time, our magic that gives us such grace and strength, our magic that lets us feel the song of the trees and see the beauty of the song. I hope I haven't confused you terribly…

But I am getting off track again. When Arthur died and united Albion, he fulfilled his destiny. The same goes for Merlin as he brought back the Old Religion and all of its creatures, including the Quendi. It was only after the Battle of Camlann, that the thin veil, which stood between us and the mortal world, was shattered and broken. Only then were we allowed to enter your world. Yet even then, the Lady of the Golden Wood, may she be blessed by Elbereth forever, warned us from speaking with the mortals. She told us that you had lost your nobility and courage that was so common in ages gone by. I disagree.

So as you see, I had never met Merlin before he completed his destiny, though every Quendi knew _of_ him. The Legend of Emrys, great and powerful, the famed sorcerer who had power to rival the Maiar was told unto all.

"Indilwen, I know that you are out here somewhere." For a moment, I froze and hid between the branches and leaves, but I knew that voice. It belonged to Elrohir, son of Elrond, brother to Elladan and Lord of Imladris, not to mention my husband. I caught sight of his dark hair through the leaves. He was looking up, but in a completely different direction. Mentally I sighed, Valar help the Noldor, why can't they climb trees? So, quick as a squirrel, I climbed and leaped through the branches until I was directly above my height-fearing bond. Then I jumped.

"Oof!"

We tumbled together onto the forest floor with 'Ro breaking my descent. Gingerly, he sat up while rubbing his shoulder. Hmm, maybe I hadn't landed as lightly as I thought. Ah well, he should have been prepared for that. It's not like that's the first time I've jumped on him. He shook his head at me and sighed, while I gave him a half-apologetic grin.

"Thank you," Was all he said. Though 'Ro's words were grim I saw past the charade and noticed his eyes shining with amusement.

"Anytime, meleth, how's your back?"

"It's seen worse, though not by much. Being jumped on by ages old Princesses isn't the healthiest thing." The last jibe was sent to me with upraised eyebrows and a long-suffering expression. Poor Elrohir, I thought, getting beaten by an elleth. But then I took a closer look at him, something was off. I narrowed my eyes, trying to guess what was troubling 'Ro.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news, though." He started out, seeing my concerned expression. "The Lady of Light has called a meeting concerning our recent guest." Elrohir, of course, was talking about Thor Odinson. He came to earth a few months before, but I don't know if his first visit was recorded by human media. In case it wasn't, here is a brief tale: Thor Odinson was an arrogant little prince, but I think his heart was in the right place. However, he let his pride get the best of him (I believe you humans have a saying for this, pride before fall, if I'm correct.) and he was banished to earth by his father, Odin the Wanderer. He learns what it is to be a good leader, redeems himself and etc. I'm sure you have read it in a book somewhere. Eventually, he returned to Asgard but not before he met with Lord Elrond. They had what I'm sure was a lovely meeting which wasn't foreboding at all and Thor went home. All's well that ends well, right? Apparently not, I sighed.

"Very well, let me wish the boys good luck first though, alright?" Elrohir nodded and we agreed to meet by the tallest pine tree and travel together to the council. So I climbed up another tree and started to make my way back to the lake where the boys were by leaping from branch to branch. I had been traveling like this for ages, so the movement was familiar to me. Familiar enough to let my mind wander and let myself process all the information.

First of all, there was Arthur. He was back. Now don't misunderstand me, I love Arthur and I am overjoyed that he is back. But the Dragon foretold that Arthur would return at England's darkest hour and though the beast had been wrong about many things, I had a feeling that this wasn't one of them. So, England was in danger. More danger than it had ever been in the past, more danger than the World Wars… That was a frightening thought. What could be worse than that? I didn't want to know.

But then there was the council. Oh boy, this was going to be interesting. Luckily, I didn't have time to worry about the council and what it could entail because I had run out of trees. Merlin was waving at me from a short distance away. I jogged the last few feet to get to them and started to explain my situation. But as I got closer, I raised an eyebrow at my boys. They both suddenly took a keen interest in the gray sand while I tried not to comment on their tousled hair, rather pink lips and their interlocked hands. Merlin finally glanced up sheepishly. "About time," was all I said.

-

Well...um hey. So there is this thing called school and it gets in the way of stuff, like writing. Sorry...

I'm also sorry to say that the next update wouldn't be until late May or June. Finals and stuff...so yeah, thank you for being understanding

Reviews make me happy!


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